Thursday, January 26, 2012

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

Monta Connolly had a strong game for Classical against Everett at Classical on Wednesday.

LYNN - It was a tale of two halves for the Classical High girls basketball team in its 53-47 win over Everett Wednesday at Classical.

The Rams (4-9) couldn't do much against the Crimson Tide in the first half and by the break, found themselves in a 21-15 hole. The third quarter was a different story. Classical turned up the heat defensively and Everett got scorched. The Rams scored 23 points, with most of them coming off the press.

"That (23 points in the third quarter) came close to a season high," Classical High coach Tom Sawyer said. "And most of them came off executing the press. There were a lot of layups. It's good to see the kids' hard work on the press pay off."

The two teams met earlier in the season and Everett won by six points, although it was a three-point game until Classical had to start fouling with about 30 seconds remaining. The loss snaps Everett's five-game winning streak.

"They (Classical) played better," Everett coach Tammy Turner said about the rematch. "They wanted it more. They dove after every loose ball. They were very aggressive."

The game was tied 8-8 at the end of the first quarter, but Everett (7-5) started to pull away in the second with Tori Cyrus (12 points) scoring seven points in the run.

The Rams came out of the locker room a different team with sophomore Franki Galeazzi driving the bus. Galeazzi nailed a driving layup to cut the lead to four and after Everett scored to bump it back to six, Galeazzi buried a three to put the Rams right back in the hunt.

From that point on, it was a battle. Classical turned things around for good with a 14-2 run to end the third quarter. The Rams were relentless with the press and the hard work translated into a flurry of steals and Everett turnovers. Galeazzi scored 12 of her game-high 19 points that quarter.

The Rams were also getting a monster game from Monta Connolly, who finished with 18 points. Connolly was the bright spot for the Rams at the free throw line, hitting eight of 14 attempts. Sophomore forward Kristin Lauria, who flirted with foul trouble all night, finished with 12 points for Classical.

As impressive as the Rams were offensively (Connolly, Galeazzi and Lauria combined for 49 points), the defense was equally effective.

"I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Taylor Dumas in terms of getting us extra possessions," Sawyer said. "She does it all for us, diving on the floor for loose balls, tying people up. She had no points, but her impact on the game was huge."

Sawyer said Chelsey Rogers, who had two points, was also a key factor with her aggressive defense.

Turner said Classical pressed the first time the two teams played.

"We broke it easily," she said. "This time we didn't keep our composure. This time we turned the ball over. We had way too many turnovers."

Taylor Sweeney led Everett with 14 points. Cyrus had 12 and Spressa Ramadari, 11.

Swampscott's Marina Padovani (12) looks for an open teammate while she is guarded by Classical's Taylor Dumas (10) during their game at Swampscott Friday. (Item Photo / Angela Owens)

At Swampscott, the Big Blue continued its torrid pace, improving to 10-1 with the win and qualifying for the state tournament in the process.

Ara Talkov had the hot hand for Swampscott with 16 points. Marina Padovani had eight points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals. Merry Ball also had a good game with six points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Classical coach Tom Sawyer was pleased with his team's defense, but said the offense is still struggling. Franki Galeazzi had 13 points for the Rams (3-9) and Monta Connolly, 11. Kristin Lauria had seven points and nine rebounds.

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

The Classical High girls basketball team survived a battle against Danvers, winning 35-33 Friday at Classical.

"It was a little closer than we would have liked," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. "We didn't do a good job at the foul line, but we had a defensive stop at the end to seal the victory."

Sophomore Franki Galeazzi topped the ticket for the Rams with 11 points. Monta Connolly and Kristin Lauria had nine each. Chelsea Rogers and Taylor Dumas provided the defensive spark for Classical (3-8).

Kasey Sherry led the Falcons with 12 points. Katie McKenna contributed 11.

 January 04, 2012By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

LYNN - It was a tale of two games Tuesday night at the Cavanagh Fieldhouse. The first three quarters constituted one game; the final period made up the other.

Fortunately -- at least for the English girls -- you can only have one final score. And what the Bulldogs did for three quarters was enough ... but just barely.

After opening up a 22-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the 'Dogs, and coach Fred Hogan, watched as Classical methodically chipped away at it. The Rams kept chipping and before anyone knew it, it was a ballgame. And when Taylor Dumas scooped one in at the buzzer, it made the final score 55-53, English. And that left both coaches scratching their heads afterward ... albeit for different reasons.

"They outfought us from the beginning to the end," said Hogan. "Even when we were up by 20, I didn't feel safe because they were outfighting us all over the court.

"I come into every game concerned that something like this can happen," Hogan said. "Maybe this is just what we need to make us understand that when you're up big, you have to finish."

"I told the girls we're not into moral victories," said Classical's Tom Sawyer. "It's still a loss. And if we'd played controlled and focused, and if we'd executed, right from the beginning, instead of in the fourth quarter, maybe this would have been a win."

Still, Sawyer didn't see the glass as totally empty.

"I hope this makes them realize that if we stay focused, and if we execute, we can beat the bigger teams in the (Northeastern Conference/North)," he said.

The Bulldogs got big first (22 points) and third (20) quarters and struggled in the second and fourth. Classical started the same way the New England Patriots started Sunday ... slowly, with only 11 first-quarter points and six in the second, leaving English with a 27-17 halftime lead.

"Maybe," said Sawyer, "if Bill Belichick can figure out why they start so slowly, he can tell me the reason."

English looked like it had more than enough in the third, as Diondra Woumn scored 13 of her game-high 16 points to propel the Bulldogs to a 47-27 lead after three.

And when Shannon Calnan (13 points) scored a hoop to open the fourth, that lead was up to 22.

But points were few and far between for English after that. Deidra Newson's three-pointer, after Classical had managed to get the Bulldogs' lead under 20, brought it back up to 21 (54-33), but the Dogs scored only one point -- a foul shot by Makayla Everette -- the rest of the way.

Classical, on the other hand, went wild. From Newson's three to Everette's free throw, the Rams reeled off 13 straight points, eight of them by Kristin Lauria.

"I had a talk with her before the game," said Sawyer, "and I told her she had to start demanding the ball. She doesn't have to shoot it all the time, but the ball has to be in her hands at least once every time. We did better with that today."

Also contributing to the run were Francesca Galeazzi (4 out of her 7 points) and Monta Connolly (5 of her 7). In all, the Rams outscored English in the fourth, 26-8.

But there just wasn't enough time. Chelsea Rogers scored with 27.1 seconds to go to make it a four-point game (55-51) and Classical couldn't close the gap further, despite the Bulldogs twice missing the front ends of one-and-ones, until Dumas hit her shot at the buzzer.

"I give Classical all the credit in the world," said Hogan. "Even when it looked like we were cruising, they were still outplaying us ... I thought."

The win ups English's overall record to 7-0, and its NEC/North mark to 5-0.

, December 29, 2011By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

LYNN - The English girls made sure it would be a Bulldog sweep in the Boverini Basketball Tournament, taking care of Classical, 61-43, Wednesday at the Conigliaro Gym at St. Mary's.

"This (winning the tournament) was important to us," said English coach Fred Hogan. "We were a little sloppy tonight, but Diondra (Woumn) stepped up and had a big game for us."

Woumn, a sophomore, whose brother, Ryan, led English to the Division 1 state final three years ago, finished up with 16 points (to go along with the 13 she had Tuesday in English's win over St. Mary's). She was named the tournament's MVP while Catherine Stinson (16 points) was the Bulldogs' other representative on the all-tournament team.

The win is English's fifth in the tournament's history, which began in 2004. The Rams won the first one, English the next four and St. Mary's the previous two.

"This was a special year for us," said Hogan. "It's good to have the trophy back home."

Despite the loss, Classical coach Tom Sawyer was anything but unhappy.

"If you can believe this," he said, "this was our best game we've played this year. I'll tell you, English has a lot of good players over there, but our girls didn't back down. We played as hard as we possibly could."

English's sophomore troika of Woumn, Stinson and Deidra Newson was just too much for the Rams. They combined for 41 of English's 61 points, with Newson hitting nine.

For Classical, Monta Connolly was the Rams' representative on the all-tournament team. She scored 11 points, sharing high scoring honors with Bobbi Dee Regan. Behind them was Kristin Lauria (8).

"Kristin is going to be a good player," said Sawyer. "She's still young (a sophomore) and she'll certainly grow."

English got the early jump, running off to a 17-7 first-quarter lead before Regan and Chelsea Rogers hit back-to-back hoops to make it a six-point lead after one.

But the Bulldogs doubled up on the Rams in the second quarter (14-7) to take a 31-18 lead at the break. And while the second half was a bit more even, English still outscored the Rams 30-25 to account for the final margin of victory.
 

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

LYNN - When the Classical girls basketball team buried two quick buckets to start its game against Peabody on Tuesday, things looked good for the Rams. Unfortunately, it was downhill after that in a 46-19 Rams loss at Classical.


The Tanners (3-0) snapped the lid on the hoop for the rest of the quarter and kept it there until the Rams' Kristin Lauria finally ended the scoring drought. Peabody held the Rams to only eight first-half points and was almost as stingy in the second half, giving up only 11.

Fortunately for the Rams (1-2), at least in the early going, Peabody wasn't shooting all that much better. The Tanners only led 7-4 after one quarter, but pulled away on an 18-0 run that lasted 11 minutes. It started with 6:22 left in the first quarter and ended on Lauria's hoop with 3:06 left in the half.

"I didn't mind the shooting (woes)," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. "It was the turnovers. We had too many turnovers."

The Tanners led 23-8 at halftime.

Despite the loss, Sawyer was encouraged by the play of his freshmen, Ivy Martin, Chelsea Rogers and Heidi Milhem, a call-up from the junior varsity.

Peabody had the height advantage and used it well at times. Olivia Summit led all scorers with 14 points and sophomore Kasey Provost was good for nine. The Rams held center Carolyn Scacchi to only four points, but Scacchi did plenty of damage on the boards.

"I think the big difference is our depth," Peabody coach Jane Heil said. "I can put 10-12 kids out there, although we have some injuries and only used nine."

Classical started the third quarter much like the first, with Monta Connolly and Lauria scoring back-to-back baskets to cut into the lead a bit at 23-12. That's as close as the Rams would come. Peabody led 31-16 at the end of the third quarter.

The Tanners went on an 8-0 run to end the game.

Victoria Digiacomo only scored two points, put she provided the Tanners with a big defensive boost late in the third quarter.

"She's a sparkplug," Heil said. "Everyone else sees her stepping up and they do too."

Peabody has a challenging stretch coming up beginning Friday when it plays a red-hot English team. Then it's on to a non-league game against St. Mary's before tackling defending Northeastern Conference Large champion Revere.

The Rams, meanwhile, play Salem on Friday and then head into the Boverini Tournament next Tuesday. They'll play Tech in the opening round and face the winner or loser of the St. Mary's-English game on Wednesday.

Taylor                   Francesco             Monta

Classical 34, Beverly 32

At Classical, it wasn't a high-scoring affair, but the Rams (1-0) got the job done. Monta Connolly had 12 points, a robust 15 rebounds, five steals and six assists to lead the way, Kristin Lauria had six points and 16 rebounds and Franki Galeazzi chipped in with six points.

"It was nice to put one in the win column early, especially the way the kids did it, coming from behind in the fourth quarter," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said.

Becca Moriarty had 10 points for the Panthers (0-1).

By Steve Krause / The Daily Item

LYNN - Twenty girls basketball teams throughout the Greater Boston area and North Shore got a chance to experience live action Saturday in the annual Paul Duchane Jamboree.

"As always, it was a great experience," said coach Tom Sawyer of Classical, whose school hosted the jamboree in memory of the late Duchane, who coached for both the Rams and Lynn English, and was a teacher at Classical. "A lot of players got some game experience today, and -- of course -- it's an honor to play a game in memory of a person such as Paul Duchane."

The Rams fell, 17-13, in the finale to Bishop Fenwick in a game that saw them score the last seven points. To that point, the Crusaders, who got some balanced scoring, had built a 17-6 lead. Jenny Nasser had four to lead Fenwick, with Rose Fantozzi and Chandler Wilder hitting three each.

However, down the stretch, Monta Connolly (6 points in all), Bobbie Dee Regan and Alina Garrity hit buckets to close the gap.

Classical Girls Basketball Team has a youthful look

 Thursday, December 01, 2011By Joyce Erekson / For The Item

Classical High girls basketball coach Tom Sawyer will be counting on six returning varsity players to lead the way this season.

The Rams are coming off a solid 2010 campaign that saw them finish 11-9. They qualified for the state tournament, but lost to Arlington Catholic in the first round. Four players graduated from that team: Hannah Byrne, Tashanna Brown, Jenna Kulakowski and Rosane Batista.

Sawyer doesn't have any seniors on varsity this season. He has four returning juniors, Monta Connolly, Bobbie Dee Regan, Taylor Dumas and Alina Garrity, and two sophomores, Kristin Lauria and Franki Galeazzi, who made their presence felt as freshmen last year.

"Franki, Kristin and Monta got a lot of (playing) time on last year's team," Sawyer said. "That's the experience we have coming back."

Lauria, a 5-9 forward, averaged 8.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

"She's a real solid low post player," Sawyer said. "She's good around the basket with her right and her left hand."

Sawyer said he's looking for Galeazzi to set the tempo on defense.

"She's a tremendous athlete with tremendous quickness," Sawyer said. "We're looking for her to be the pacesetter. We're looking for her to get us into the flow on the defensive (end) and hopefully that will translate into some buckets."

Sawyer is counting on Connolly to step up offensively.

"Monta can shoot the ball from outside," Sawyer said. "She does a real good job slashing to the hoop."

Sawyer is looking for Regan to help out all over the floor.

"Actually, she can do it all. She can handle the ball and she makes good, smart decisions with her passes," he said.

Dumas bring defensive intensity to the floor, Sawyer said.

"She puts pressure on the ball handlers," he said. "She gets some steals and deflections. We need her to not let the other team set up on offense."

Sawyer said Garrity is one of the better shooters on the team and should provide a nice touch from outside.

Rounding out the varsity are junior forwards Messeret Kebede, and Shaina Cruel, who are both up from junior varsity. Christine Connolly, sister of Monta Connolly, is a sophomore forward also up from the JVs. Sawyer has two freshmen on the team, guard Chelsea Rogers and forward Ivy Martin.

"It's a good group of kids. They want to learn and they want to do better. No seniors tried out this year, so we have a younger group that's fairly inexperienced," Sawyer said.

The Rams open against Beverly at home on Dec. 13, but they'll test the waters a couple of days before that in the Paul Duchane Jamboree at Classical. The jamboree is being held Saturday, Dec. 10, at Classical with 10 half-games. The first one (Tech-Winthrop) starts at 2 p.m. with Classical-Fenwick wrapping up the show with an 8 p.m. start.

19th Annual Paul Duchane Girls Varsity Basketball Pre Season Jamboree

The Jamboree will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2011 at Lynn Classical High School gymnasium (235 O'Callaghan Way, Lynn, MA).